A Case Study Of Piaget's Theory Of Cognitive Development

Piaget's Theory of cognitive development consists of four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. A 3-year-old preschooler falls into the preoperational stage and a 9-year-old student falls into the concrete operational stage. By definition, the preoperational stage is being able to think beyond the here and now, but being unable to perform mental transformations. The concrete operational stage is described as being able to perform mental transformations, but only on concrete objects. A child would move from the preoperational stage to the concrete operational stage once they master conservation tasks and organization skills.

Jean Piaget is a key figure for development, focusing on cognitive constructivism – that being that we must learn from experience and development, building on knowledge that has already been developed. The strengths and weaknesses of Piaget 's cognitive development theory will be discussed.

According to Piaget (1929, 1954, 1963), the process of adaptation helps us to understand how a child constructs his/her world. Taking Piaget's theory of Cognitive Development with particular focus on the Sensori-Motor stage of development, I am going to discuss how understanding this stage might influence me when working with a baby as a nursing student in the future.

Adolescence is the transition between childhood and adulthood (Berk, 2014, p. 361). During adolescence, children and teenagers begin to form their identity, establishing who they are based on their values and goals (Berk, 2014, p. 361). Adolescence typically begins with puberty and is followed by changes in motor and cognitive development (Berk, 2014, p. 362). During adolescence, teenagers often experience Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development, Erikson’s Theory of Development, and Kohlberg’s 3 Levels of Moral Development. These theories and ideas have helped form the basis of normal adolescent development. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development describes how the use of more advanced and abstract thinking occurs in a sequence for all children,

According to Piaget (1957), cognitive development was a continuous restructuring of mental processes due to varied situations and experiencing the world and maturing biologically. His view of cognitive development would have us look inside a child’s head and glimpse the inborn process of change that thinking goes through. “He was mainly interested in the biological influences on “how we come to know’” (Huitt and Hummel, 2003). Piaget’s views helps us to have appropriate expectations about children’s mental abilities during different periods of development, especially in terms of logical-mathematical intelligence, and that it was our ability as humans to think abstractly that differentiated us (Science and Cognitive Development). There are three elements of Piaget’s cognitive development theory: schemas, the adaptation process and stages of development. Schemas are basically mental templates of knowledge that individuals use to help make sense of the world around them. The adaptation process which allows for the transition from one stage to another, including assimilation, accommodation and equilibrium and the stages of development in which each child must pass through.

In this paper, Piaget’s Stages of cognitive development will be briefly explained, and I will explain where my cousin, Laura, is according to these stages. The real names of people discussed in this paper have been protected by not using their real names, so their personal information is confidential. My fifteen year old cousin Laura has been through many changes, and I have watched the rapid transformation in her personality, attitude, and way of thinking all in the past few years.

As discussed by Erikson, forcing students to compete for higher grades can hinder their sense of industry. Because only small percentage of students can get top grade despite high achievement by many other students within a grading curve, this practice can promote a sense of inferiority for those who do not earn the top grades. However, when teachers learn about this, they can implement better methods into their teaching and avoid these issues. They can begin to question their view on the subject and consider what specific things they might do instead to encourage “industry” among their students. The teachers can adhere to their desired grade level by becoming aware of the effects of their practice such as this and to instead, emphasize to students that it is of greater importance to develop the attitudes, values, and cognitive skills that lead to increased levels of intentional learning.

The physical development of grade 5 children are as expected as what was described in the theories, girls are taller than boys, and they gain more privacy as they pay more attention to their own hygiene (Hockenberry, 2014a). Piaget’s cognitive development theory also mentions that the third stage is characterized by remarkable cognitive growth as children’s development of language and acquisition of basic skills accelerate dramatically (Jenkins, 2013). Children did sums and minus, read books and write homework. One boy summarized the content of a comic book to me in an organized and detailed language without any assistance. As a nursing student, my intervention based on the theories and observations will focus on teaching them skills of listening,

After doing this exercise, I was surprised that I scored the same for behavior, attachment, and ecological; cognitive was my highest scoring. Piaget’s cognitive theory of development is probably one of the theories that I am most familiar with, so it came as no surprise that this was my highest scoring. I have always believed that development is one of the most influential factors in child development. There are four stages that children progress through in this theory: sensorimotor (0-2 years), preoperational (2-7 years), concrete operational (7-11 years), and formal operations (11+ years). Every child goes through these stages. For example, in sensorimotor babies learn to grasp object. I thought I would have scored higher in behavior because

One of Piaget’s key concepts within his cognitive development theory is that learning is a result of a child’s exploration of and interaction with the environment. In which, the child, independently, will learn and play. Piaget as a result of this coined young children as “lone scientists” as they learn independently and at their own rate and didn’t identify that the child needed any teachers or adults in developing cognitively. In short, this concept argues that children are exploring the worlds themselves so that they alone can make sense of the world. He argued that learning is not something that is done to the learner, but is something that they each engage in themselves.

Group A streptococcus (GAS) is a bacterium which causes an atypical phagocyte apoptosis and is characterised by strong inflammatory responses (Tsatsaronis, Walker & Sanderson-Smith, 2014). It can trigger infections such as streptococcal pharyngitis, a condition which causes the infected individual to experience a sore throat and muscle pain. Left untreated, it can lead to other conditions such as acute rheumatic fever (ARF), an in severe cases rheumatic heart disease (RHD) (Burke & Chang, 2014).

What are the major challenges to Piaget's theory of cognitive development and what aspects still have value?

Jean Piaget is considered to be very influential in the field of developmental psychology. Piaget had many influences in his life which ultimately led him to create the Theory of Cognitive Development. His theory has multiple stages and components. The research done in the early 1900’s is still used today in many schools and homes. People from various cultures use his theory when it comes to child development. Although there are criticisms and alternatives to his theory, it is still largely used today around the world.

Kolodny, N, J, 2004, The beginner’s guide to eating disorders recovery, Gurze Books, Carlsbad, CA

Jean Piaget, a cognitivist, believed children progressed through a series of four key stages of cognitive development. These four major stages, sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational, are marked by shifts in how people understand the world. Although the stages correspond with an approximate age, Piaget’s stages are flexible in that if the child is ready they can reach a stage. Jean Piaget developed the Piagetian cognitive development theory. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development proposes that a child’s intellect, or cognitive ability, progresses through four distinct stages. The emergence of new abilities and ways of processing information characterize each stage. Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children move through four different stages of mental development. His theory focuses not only on understanding how children acquire knowledge, but also on understanding the nature of intelligence.